|
Prompt: What do you consider to be your most important
personal and professional accomplishments to date? (Please
limit to three.)
With no money, no direction, and no goals, I graduated from
high school in 1987 not knowing if I would ever be a man,
if I would ever know what life means. Unable to afford college
tuition, I worked odd jobs for a few months before deciding
to join the United States Marine Corps. A scrappy kid who
needed structure and support, I entered the Marines unprepared
for the next thirteen weeks of extraordinary physical and
mental challenges.
Arriving at the recruit-training depot in Parris Island South
Carolina on February 3,1988 not knowing what to expect, I
watched my hair fall off my head, had vaccinations for every
disease ever discovered, and learned to live with sixty other
young men in close quarters. The days were long. I would wake
up at 4 a.m. and work nonstop for 18 hours until I could collapse
on my bed. Exposed to individuals from many different cultural
and economic backgrounds, I learned the value of teamwork
and the work ethic essential to leadership. When we first
arrived on the island, my platoon was a jumbled mess of disobedient,
out of shape, undisciplined boys. After three months of exhausting
training we were molded into a group of highly motivated,
physically fit men. On the proudest day of my life, I marched
in the graduation parade to become a United States Marine.
After being discharged from the United States Marine Corps,
I became determined to attain an electrical engineering degree
from Florida State University. I wisely invested in the GI
Bill early on in my Marine Corps career in order to go to
college. Although a substantial amount of money, the GI Bill
only covered my tuition; to pay for food and rent, I took
a full time job with the VA work-study program. In the beginning
I had difficulty adjusting to working full time while maintaining
a full coarse load, and I began to feel hindered by my years
outside the classroom. However, determined to succeed, I learned
to manage my time well, and I established good study habits,
which have continued to the present. In the spring of 1997
I obtained a Bachelors degree in Electrical engineering, a
full year ahead of schedule. I take pride in the fact that
I am the first person in my family to obtain a college degree.
I moved to Los Angeles after graduating from college and
accepted a position at an aerospace company as a design engineer.
Although I had multiple offers, I chose to work at my particular
company to further my education. Putting in long hours at
work while devoting most of my personal time to obtaining
a Masters degree in electrical engineering, I felt like I
was in college again with my full time job and academic responsibilities.
To keep some sense of sanity and maintain good spirits, I
decided to learn how to snowboard. Although at first snowboarding
seemed a most impossible mission given the long drive to the
resort and my inexperience with cold weather, I persevered
and by the end of my first day could navigate my way down
the mountain. I have since become an accomplished snowboarder,
but nothing matches the exhilaration I felt at the end of
that first day when I completed my first run without falling.
Back
to more Business School Sample Essays
|
